A couple of months back we were invited to join the Ford Events Team at the Dagenham Engine Plant for a Family Fun Day and Classic Car Show.  "Of course we will" we're getting an old hand at this outdoor show lark!  After the success of Wings & Wheels in June, this will be a walk in the park!

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To say this weekend was a challenge is an understatement!  The lack of electric challenged us, the storage trailer challenged us, the wind challenged us, the rain challenged us, the uneven ground challenged us, even the new bolts for the track challenged us!  But you know what?  This is TEAM BRENTWOOD, it'll take much, much, more than this to defeat us!

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All was going well, plans were falling into place, we had this sorted!

Ross Mason was put in charge of sorting a generator to supply our power for charging and for running the computer and timing; which was all going to plan, until he got let down on Thursday!  PANIC!

Thankfully, Paul Weedon stepped in to help, working for HSS, he pulled a few strings, generator supplied.  RELIEF! 

I spent the day on Friday printing over 100 leaflets to hand out to the public, and some posters to show case the club.  In addition, I'd been sorting out the bookings and updating the "mobile" timing system.  All went well, everything prepared.  RELIEF!

Saturday morning, and a few of the guys met at the track to load up all that was needed, the carpet, track, tables, chairs, etc; only to find the box trailer that the "mobile" track is stored in had collapsed!  PANIC!

Now it was the turn of Pete Bowley to step in and help, providing a Ford Transit Van for the guys to use.  RELIEF!

Track and everything transferred, and it was off to Ford's Engine Plant in Dagenham to set up.  Finding our way through the network of roads of Fords, we all met where the show was to be held.  Midge and Divvy were there, of course, along with Ross Mason, Sean Foley, Gary Palmer, Tubs Donovan, Kerry Goldstone, Marc Zanders, Alan Flack, George Flack and myself.  First job was to set up the marquee.  With a team of 11 of us, this should be a doddle!  With the frame put together, and the roof on, I got the ground swept as best I could, and the guys were ready to start putting the carpet down.  That's when the next challenge arrived, in the form of a very strong wind!  The wind got under the marquee and whoosh, it almost took off like a paragliding parachute!  PANIC!

Quick thinking from Divvy and Gary, and ratchet straps were deployed whilst the rest of us held on to the marquee for dear life!  If nothing else, TEAM BRENTWOOD can be very innovative!  RELIEF!

Ratchet straps attached and secured to the barrier, barrel weights attached to the opposite side, we thought we were sorted, but the wind wasn't giving us an easy time!  Despite the straps and weights, the marquee was still lifting.  PANIC!

Gary came up with the suggestion of moving the marquee to another area, where we could butt up against the barrier and be facing the wind from a different direction.  So like a scene from a slap-stick movie, everyone was allocated to a leg, marquee was lifted, moved, and placed against the barrier, I wished I'd filmed it!  The new location seemed much better and this time the ratchet straps and weights were holding the marquee in place.  RELIEF!

So we continued with the setting up.  With the side walls hung, the carpet laid, track assembled and in place, generator tested, we were on the home stretch!  DOUBLE RELIEF!

The organisers arrived with a much needed cuppa for us all, and even took a few in their car to the loo!  The tables, chairs and gazebos were stacked in the marquee, ready to set up the pitting area on Sunday morning, and breathing a sigh of relief, we all headed for home.

So the power supply challenged us, we won!  The trailer challenged us, we won!  The wind challenged us, we won!  All was well and we were winning, go TEAM BRENTWOOD!

Then the rain started on us!  Just a gentle drizzle at first, but as the night wore on, the rain got heavier.  Messages flew between us all, do you think the marquee is ok?  Will the carpet be ok?  Sleep did not come easy Saturday night, believe me!

Sunday morning, and the rain was still falling steadily.  We'll be fine, we said, the marquee is designed to protect against rain, nothing to worry about.  We arrived at Fords by 8.30am: a little rain had seeped under the marquee, a couple of damp patches on the carpet, that's alright, we can cope with that.  Then the heavens opened!  Torrential rain bucketed down and the show ground flooded!  Being on a slight slope, water poured under the marquee wall and the carpet was sopping wet in seconds!  The drains couldn't cope, overflowed, and there was a river running along the centre of the track!  We tried everything we could think of, sweeping the water away just didn't work; a water sweeper couldn't cope; and all this while trying to set up the pitting area too!  PANIC!

Rapid discussions were held, what were we going to do?  Then something, somewhere, took pity on us and the rain stopped!  The water thankfully drained off the carpet pretty quick, and the meeting went ahead as planned!  RELIEF!

And what a meeting!  Absolutely fantastic!